Hype: Your Purpose

Hype 2

Hype: Your Purpose

by Daniel Carandang

written by Ashley Petallano

'So what we get drunk? So what we smoke weed? We're just having fun.'

Most of us are familiar with that battle cry associated with the lines above. The youth are all about living young, wild and free right now which makes sense on why Whiz Khalifa's 'Young, Wild and Free' is their anthem. 

The song was released as a digital download on October 11, 2011 in the United States. In its first week, it sold 159,000 digital copies, debuting at #10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It also received a nomination for Best Rap Song at the 55th Grammy Awards which happened in February 2013.Youtube views: almost 140 million! This song has been heard throughout the entire world. 

If you have watched the music video (which we strongly discourage you to do so if you haven't),  it's really about a party that Wiz and rapper Snoop Dog decided to organize. They planned to invite some ‘homeboys’  and ‘homegirls’ and have some “fun”. What kind of fun?

So what we get drunk

So what we smoke weed

We're just having fun

We don't care who sees

Apparently, as long as it sounds okay or fun, there's no need to fuss. You're just enjoying. So what if you're doing something illegal? So what if you're filling your body with alcoholic drinks? The song teaches us not to care with what people think of our partying. In fact, the video shows the singers openly smoking weed and the likes.

So what we go out

That's how its supposed to be

Living young and wild and free

Basically, the song is all about YOLO. We all know what YOLO stands for: You only live once.

Because you only live once, enjoy everything while you can. Smoke all the cigarettes that you can! Drink all the beer and get drunk till the sun goes down. Have ultimate fun because after all, you only live once. That is what this song teaches us. Don't think about tomorrow- the consequences that follow our decisions. The purpose of life is to indulge in pleasure- to live young, wild and free.

This way of life is being adopted by young people today in our generation all over the world. Just like what’s narrated in the song and what’s seen in the video, many young people think that the way to go is to live life like a party- to exist for pleasure. They identify themselves as party people and their purpose in life is to indulge in all the pleasure they can get and party harder than anyone else.

Just by checking out their social media posts, we  know that these people live to party. Beer bong games announced over Twitter, pictures of the latest raves seen on Instagram and tagged posts of drunken people on Facebook- you name it! They live like they’ll be young forever, like there’s no tomorrow—YOLO!

The question is...WHERE does a life like this lead to?

You may not believe it but there was a person in the Bible who tried the YOLO lifestyle. It's safe to assume that he tried to YOLO harder than anyone else. 

King Solomon, son of the great David, had all access to everything and anything a YOLO person would love. 

- One of the richest kings in Israel

He was also wiser than anyone in the land. 

-Indulged in wine

Well, he had the money to buy any wine he wanted. He could've probably a bar anytime he wanted.

-Collected great sums of money

Being the king, he was paid the most. Kind of like Henry Sy, Solomon owned a number of properties and had pockets so deep, you could swim in money. Even the Queen Sheba was breathless at the sight of his kingdom.

-Entertainment at the palm of his hands

The One Direction concert this 2015 is well anticipated by teenage girls who are willing to spend money despite the troubles involved. If it were Solomon, it would've been too easy for him. He could have any singer he chose to perform in an instant. NO LINES! :)

-Many beautiful concubines

Solomon had all the pretty ladies he wanted. He had 300 wives and 700 concubines. He no longer needed to practice suave pick-up lines. 

"Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. “

Ecclesiastes 2:10

He could've partied and YOLOed more than anyone. Solomon had everything. But at the end of the day, this was his conclusion:

“But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.”

Ecclesiastes 2:11

Despite having everything he could have, Solomon felt empty, weary and very unsatisfied with his life. Instead of posing online and saying, “see you at the next party”, he said, it was meaningless. NO ONE wants to arrive at the end of their lives and conclude that their whole life was “meaningless”

Ecclesiastes was written primarily to young people (though it is applicable to the young at heart). In writing this book, it appears that Solomon desired to teach young people truths so that they could avoid the errors he made throughout his life. 

There are two things we can learn from this book, when it comes to pleasure and living our lives as youth.:

1. God is not KJ

In all honesty, we don't like being surrounded by killjoys. As the name suggests, people like these kill the joy out of the fun we're having. Sometimes, we think of God as a big cosmic KJ because of all the do's and don't's. Our opinion of him is no fun at all. The Bible says otherwise:

“Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in…”

Ecclesiastes 11:9a

Most of us have believe that if we follow God, life would be serious and quite boring because apparently anything fun is against His will. But God is not like that. In fact, He told Solomon to enjoy every minute of his youth. However, God is not in favor with the YOLO lifestyle:

"Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.”

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Whenever, we hear phrases like “we must give an account”, “live your life wisely”, there is a tendency for us to think that God is a KJ, simply because we transfer our perception of our imperfect earthly authorities to God. Some of them may be unreasonable (teachers, parents) but God is unlike these earthly authorities. 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10

“life to the full” —not necessarily rich in earthly possessions—but a life full of meaning, purpose, & satisfaction.When God sets boundaries & reminds us of our accountability to Him, it’s for our protection—it’s to enable us to live life to the full!

Babies are infamous for their habit of putting their wet fingers inside electrical sockets. To them, it seems fun and interesting but to us, we know better. The same can be said about God. We think everything that we do is fun- but little do we know that some of them can cause our destruction. 

2. God wants you to live a life with no regrets

Admittedly, we've all had regrets. Those what-ifs in our lives can cause us to wince every time we remember. Why didn't I ask her out? Why didn't I eat that last slice of pizza before it's too late? Why?

“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,before the days of trouble comeand the years approach when you will say,“I find no pleasure in them.”

Ecclesiastes 12:1

Solomon, after doing everything a person wants to do, did not say: ”Yes, this IS the way we should live”. But instead of being an advocate of the YOLO lifestyle, he tells us to remember God.

"Remember” - recall/bring to awareness

Our thinking affects our living.

That’s why we are commanded to keep remembering who God is(specifically the fact that He creates us—that we are not our own, that we will be accountable to Him for how we live, He created us in love, & that He has a plan for our lives) 

Many of us, live recklessly and throw our lives away simply because we think there is nothing to look forward to. We're young- strong and healthy. Therefore, we think we can do anything and everything! But the truth is that God loves you, cares about you, & has a plan, destiny, & purpose for your life!—Remember Him in everything you do.

We also need to remember Him  & live for Him because life is temporal and we won't be young forever.

Many young people endanger themselves, do stupid things thinking that they are immortal, and still young so can sustain pain. They spend their youthful lives this way and before they know it, their youthful years pass away, and they become old. Prior to being old, they've fallen victims to the lie that they will be forever young...that everything will always work out.

Some people today live out the consequences of their youthful mistakes. A mom has three children and is raising them on her own. A young man is limited from fulfilling his full potentials due to AIDS. The hurt and the pain comes back every single time. 

Sensual pleasures may seem fun at the moment, but in the end, you will realize that it was all meaningless. God wants you to live a life of no regrets! And the way to experience that, is by living according to who He is.

At the end of his search for the meaning of life, Solomon came up with this conclusion:

“13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad."

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Solomon: I have tried literally everything in this world there is to try and it was all meaningless. If you want to have meaning, Fear God and obey His commands.

The result of really knowing God & His character is not defiance or rebellion, but really reverence and willing submission to Him. Life is more than just parties, drinking and relationships- it's all about HIM and what He has planned for us. YOLO is nothing compared to the Lord. It's about time we get our thoughts straight. Being young, wild and free is meaningless without Christ.